Both plants are from the Cannabis Sativa species however as they grow from seed to flower their spectrum of cannabinoids differ dramatically. The major cannabinoid in Marijuana is THC while Hemp’s major cannabinoid is CBD. As a reference, in our current batch of Distilled Hemp Oil, 82% of it is CBD, 3.75% is THC, 1.85% is CBG, and .22% is CBN. We then dilute the Hemp Oil with carrier oils to ensure the THC percent is less than the 0.3% by volume that is federally regulated.

CBD (Cannabidiol) and THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) are known as “phyto-cannabinoids”, meaning plant-based. They interact with receptors similarly to “endo-cannabinoids” made by our bodies and can substitute in receptor locations. THC is the psycho-active compound known to give the “high” associated with Marijuana, where as CBD and various other cannabinoids are being researched for a multitude of medicinal benefits.

The Endocannabinoid System’s function is to maintain homeostasis, or balance within the body. It performs this task by monitoring various conditions in the body and signaling ligands to be released throughout the body. Cannabinoids are signaling molecules that bind to various receptors to impact varying physiological processes. CB1 and CB2 receptors are the most noted receptors of the endocannabinoid system. CB1 is located in the brain and central nervous system and CB2 is located primarily in the peripheral organs. There are several other receptors that have been noted to bind with cannabinoids, including the Serotonin, Vanilloid, GPR55, PPARS, and GABA-A receptors. Many of these receptors are related to anxiety, sleep, pain perception, nausea, blood pressure regulation, tumor regression, and anti-inflammatory responses. The Endocannabinoid System is extremely complex and difficult to predict how it would choose to use any additional cannabinoids.

Full Spectrum hemp oil should have the full amount of cannabinoids from the plant’s profile. Thus, it should contain high levels of CBD and much smaller amounts of “minor” cannabinoids THC, CBG, CBN, and CBC. As the name implies, Broad Spectrum should have everything Full Spectrum has, minus THC. “Isolate” is a term used to describe CBD in its isolation, meaning no other cannabinoids exist. Increasing amounts of research is finding that CBD in isolation does not work as well as it does with other cannabinoids, this is referred to the “Entourage Effect”.

Our 2000mg Cannabinoid Full Spectrum Tincture contains 2.83mg of THC in each full 1ml dropper. Weight, age, sex, body fat content, metabolism, nutrition, physical activity and time of day are just some of the factors that impact the metabolizing of THC into the body. Extremely rarely will people perceive any psycho-active effects with just 1 dropper. Please use caution and consider recommended dosages. There are studies suggesting that CBD can blunt the psycho-active effects of the THC. Noting the contributing factors, it is quite possible that 1 dropper (2.83mg THC) can accumulate enough THC metabolites to trigger a failed drug test. If this is a concern, we highly recommend using the Broad Spectrum product.

Simply put, the tincture oil solution will be absorbed within the mouth or the gastrointestinal tract and enter the blood stream for distribution. This engages the Endocannabinoid System as a whole and will be distributed by the Endocannabinoid System. Meanwhile, salves and balms have very low transdermal permeability and only traces of the cannabinoids will enter the bloodstream. However, salves are able to penetrate into skin and soft tissue at the local area and engage local CB1 receptors. A helpful medical article written to this effect can be found at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6429381

The FDA has not yet defined CBD as “safe”, yet it has approved the CBD isolate drug Epidiolex for prescription as treatment for two severe pediatric seizure disorders. The National Institute for Drug Abuse and the World Health Organization does consider CBD generally safe. At Rise Up Therapeutics, we have our Distilled Hemp Oil tested by third-parties for Microbials, Pesticides, Heavy Metals, and Potency. These Certificates of Analysis (COAs) can be found on the product pages. See also “How is it made?” below for additional information on how we process it to ensure purity.

First we soak the hemp flower and leaves in ethanol to extract all the oils from the plant. The ethanol is then boiled off resulting in “Crude Hemp Oil”. This mixture is usually around 50% cannabinoids and 50% remaining plant matter (waxes, terpenes, and chlorophyll). Many companies use Crude Hemp Oil to make their consumable products. We then distill the Crude Hemp Oil, vaporizing and capturing only cannabinoids to yield the highest purity product ~90% cannabinoids. It is then third-party tested for microbials, pesticides, heavy metals, and potency. Lastly, we add carrier oils to aid in bioavailability, taste, dosage ease, and ensure the final product complies to federal regulation with THC content under 0.3%.

We are not licensed medical professionals at Rise Up T, and we highly recommend discussing any dosages with your doctor, especially if you are on other medications. We believe many people do not see results because the quality, potency, or dosage is not adequate for the use case. Extensive research and anecdotal evidence has led us to encourage a starting dose of 50mg of total cannabinoids per day if using a tincture delivery method. We encourage using this dosing for at least one month before increasing the dosage. It may also be beneficial to split the daily dosage, 25mg in the morning and 25mg at night. Note that each person’s Endocannabinoid System is performing uniquely for their body. The outcome may not be what you’re are expecting. You may notice a change in sleep patterns, blood pressure, anxiety, or focus. How your body chooses to use these additional cannabinoids may not be how you would choose. We encourage you to be perceptive of how your body is functioning.

An excellent resource that we have vetted for general information is projectcbd.org A deeper dive into the science can also be found here.